Freddy Potoy Rosales
Cielo Gómez Galvis and Juan Carlos Cadena Solano are a young Colombian couple who embarked on a fresh start in the United States. Today, they are the proud owners of Graphic Line Print LLC, a visual advertising business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Behind their success lies a story of personal transformation, sparked by an event that forced them to rebuild their lives. In this feature, we highlight their inspiring journey.
A Life-Changing Event
The course of this family’s life shifted dramatically after a traumatic incident left a deep mark. Cielo recounts that as a child, she and her family were displaced from their home due to the armed conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government, which lasted for decades. After the peace agreement between the government and the guerrilla group, a compensation process began for families forced to abandon their land. However, dissident FARC factions—who rejected the deal—started threatening and even killing those who accepted the reparations.
Foto/Photo: Caviwhat Productions
One early morning in June 2022, armed men stormed their home in Bucaramanga, the capital of Colombia’s Santander department, and held them at gunpoint. Cielo, 32, embodies the resilience of a young mother devoted to her family and work. Yet, as she recalls the violence she endured in Colombia alongside her husband and son, her voice trembles, and tears stream down her face. Despite the emotion, she takes a deep breath and continues her story. Beside her, Juan Carlos, 31, silently clasps her left hand in support, their unspoken bond palpable in the office they’ve built through sheer determination.
They never imagined that night of terror would mark the beginning of a one-way journey—one that would lead them across borders, through hardships, and eventually to a new life in the United States. They arrived in Texas in August 2022 and soon boarded a flight to Pittsburgh, where Cielo’s brother awaited them. It was there they resolved to start over, though not without facing immense challenges.
Foto/Photo: Caviwhat Productions
Holding onto Hope
Once settled in Pittsburgh, they began job hunting—full of dreams but with scarce resources. Walking past Auto Image, they mustered the courage to inquire about jobs. “We decided to ask for work at Auto Image [a window tinting business], terrified and ashamed, our self-esteem shattered. We had no proper clothes, wore borrowed shoes, no internet or phone data access—just the hope fueling the plan we’d envisioned since arriving,” Juan Carlos recalls. At the time, they had only $200 to survive with their five-year-old son.
They did not speak English, and the owner did not speak Spanish, but after connecting to the shop’s WiFi and using Google Translate, Juan communicated his eagerness to work. Impressed by his initiative,
the employer tested him on the spot and hired him. Months later, noticing Juan Carlos’ talent and side projects, the owner proposed a partnership. Though they amicably parted ways ten months later,
Juan credits this American businessman as pivotal to their adaptation, grateful for the lifeline during their hardest days.
Building a Business in Pittsburgh
With savings from their two years at Auto Image, Cielo and Juan Carlos launched their own visual advertising venture—a dream born on their first nights in the U.S., as they slept on a mattress on the floor beside their son. She highlights the invaluable guidance of Brent G. Rondón, senior consultant at the University of Pittsburgh’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), who assisted them in formalizing the business. Juan Carlos estimates they’ve invested nearly $40,000 into their company.
Foto/Photo: Caviwhat Productions
Graphic Line Print officially opened on December 28, 2024. “By God’s grace, clients started coming, and demand has grown exponentially,” says Cielo, who handles finances and administration, while Juan leads creative and operational work “You must fight for what you want. Where there’s will and dreams, anything is possible—especially when you work as a team,” Cielo reflects, her determination a testament to how they’ve turned pain into resilience and hope.
Graphic Line Print is located at 2015 Saw Mill Run Blvd. (15210). Contact them via Instagram (@graphiclineprint) or call 412-887-9318.
This story was originally featured in our May-June 2025 print edition magazine.
